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Germinal

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Everything posted by Germinal

  1. So long as he doesn't allow that fact, which is probably true, to influence/drop his performance.
  2. Apparently there's only two things certain in the world of celtc, death threats and taxes.
  3. On the other hand, if Morelos had bagged a couple yesterday, he would very likely have been the subject of a January bid from low end EPL or Championship teams looking to gamble on a striker at around the £2m mark - nothing to many of them - and I think there's a player in there who could go in 12-18 months for a bit more than that, to say nothing of the fact that we need his goals. Not having his best game could be a good thing, in the long run. Ugh.
  4. Show Rodgers up for the small minded twat he is?
  5. This gets to the heart of it for me. As a club we still haven't recovered from the shock of admin and what-happened-afterward. The Long Tradition of success, passed down from player to player, creating the belief that the team was never beaten and instilling the winning mentality, was lost for the first time in many, many years. With the teams we've put out since you-know-what having no leaders worth the name, no-one to act as sheet anchor, we're still floundering around if, credit where it is due, going sluggishly in the right direction under Murty. Nicholl is, tenuously but definitely, part of the Long Tradition. I only saw him play for about a season when Souness signed him but anyone who youtube's the Skol Cup final of 86-87 will see a player who understands what is required of someone in a Rangers shirt in a Cup Final. The work ethic. He was no Gary Stevens, but few players are. I guess what I mean is that if the only thing he does is drive into players who turn out for us the mental strength to deal with the shirt then he'll have more than paid his way. Funnily enough, I was lying listening to the cricket the other night and there was a feature on the Australian tradition of new players being awarded their first cap by an ex-player. It popped into my mind that hauling in a former player to 'award' a debutant with their playing shirt on the day before they play might create something of the link that was broken and which, I believe, we desperately miss. Doesn't need to be public, in fact probably even better if kept to the privacy of the dressing room. But all these wee things, while they won't do the job on their own, can help toward achieving the outcome we all want. Nicholl's appointment seems to be in keeping with that sort of thing.
  6. Unless he literally can't run he'd still be better than what we have.
  7. Minority of one but I agree with Murty. What I'm annoyed at is that I feel the same about Jack's 'tackle' (really a pass) at Pittodrie and he got nailed to the wall for it.
  8. Haven't seen him for a while, but I did see Hardie while we were playing U-21's at Dumbarton, & a few times when he was at Raith. I am no expert but I didn't see anything beyond a limited lower league forward whose conversion rate of chances-goals is never going to be anything special and certainly nowhere near good enough for Rangers. I wouldn't rate him any higher than Calum Gallagher, for instance, over whom there was some gnashing of teeth but who certainly hasn't set any heather on fire since leaving.
  9. I wouldn't object to MacLaren at all. While I'd love us to scoop a managerial genius along the lines of Ferguson when he went to Aberdeen the chances are slim to zero. So I'll settle for competence, which none of the managers since the meltdown have been capable of. MacLaren is no-one's idea of a long term solution but he can organise a team, his contacts will be excellent, players will both want to play for him (those who are here) and come to play for him (those whose careers have lost their way, which is bluntly about all we can look for). I would be slightly flippant and suggest Murty does the press conferences, though,.
  10. I dunno, I'm not running a club professionally but I can think of a few people who could do the job we need just now. Whether that's the same as the job of getting us back to the top is a different question but since we are where we are it's not one that's exercising me much. Steve MacLaren could do it. Since I don't care about who supported what team as a boy Steve Clarke could do it, and as a left field choice I have always regarded Jim Duffy very highly, although even for me he's pushing the celtc connection as far as it'll go But he seems like a reasonable fella and a decent coach. Moyes and Allardyce are showing that even managers with a lousy rep can come in and do a reasonable job of steadying the ship and that's what we need, even if the Scottish context means steadying the ship will likely result in second place. Choice for one of those insane, 500-1 bets you put on the National - Ian MacCall down at Ayr United.
  11. As the hunt for the lesser spotted Rangers manager enters a third week (or is it fourth?) the speculative froth - we've had too may managers for it be a frenzy anymore, the law of diminishing returns has well and truly set in - is going as flat as the head on a poorly pulled pint in an Edinburgh alehouse. Names have been suggested with all the fact free abandon of a Donald Trump speech, and about as much responsibility. The usual suspects are up there, a few curveballs, and the rent-an-application crowd of those who can't quite face the fact that their day has well and truly been and gone. Ibrox, though, has become a veritable Tower of Silence, with not a hint as to the next manager of our club escaping from the frontage of Edmiston Drive. So the froth (now just a few, sad bubbles) has been reduced to speculating about speculating, about whether media speculation over Derek McInnes' future might be unsettling the poor lamb, and whether Rangers should really take a good look at themselves for allowing it. No-one expects prose worthy of Chris Brookmyre or incisive comment a la Gore Vidal from sports media, but they've gone so far down the rabbit hole it's hard to see them coming back. Were football a branch of literature there would be professors of theory across the land explaining meta-journalism to bored students day and night. But it's not that important and the writing is not that good. Those of a classical bent may be more likely to think of the Ouroboros, the snake which eats itself, or, expressed less flatteringly, devours itself arsehole first. Yes, the sound of huffiness has permeated the air these last few weeks. Ironic, given that the grievance is more or less the sense of entitlement often levelled at Bluenoses - they feel they should be told, they want to be told, and they're in the huff because they haven't been told. Everyone knows journalists are working to get the scoop on their colleagues, but even so it's a bit feeble - if you, a journo, don't have the info you want, work harder to get it. As in all walks of life, there is never a substitute for hard work. Rarely if ever a guarantor of success, but always a prerequisite. Bleating? Not quite so vital. Leaving the frustrated media to fill the large space in their deadlines with the sad, bitter dregs from the bottom of their tankards, this fan far happier chucking names around the pub with no info to go on. This is far more fun and wastes precisely zero bandwidth, electricity or paper. But it's not been so much the names suggested as the size of the task that has been exercising fellow Bluenoses. While most of us seem willing to accept a wide range of managers, there's differences in what's expected of them. Give celtc a run for their money, bag a pot, qualify and don't get humiliated in Europe: a modest to do list, and one which ought to be within the compass of every applicant for the job. As such, it's not that much of a gamble, this new manager appointment. Most of us on here could probably assemble a half decent team and, if we had suitable coaches to do the drills, turn out an effective enough side. The mystery, as always, is identifying who has that special something, the invisible extra per cent which lifts an ordinary team into the decent, a decent team into the excellent, and an excellent team into the world class. Given that we're some distance from achieving even the first of these aims, you can see why the gamble factor is less than it may previously have been in our history, when any new boss had to assume control of a team which was usually somewhere between decent and excellent, had a sizeable budget to work with and the frankly impossible added task of satisfying the Rangers support. Then again, both Warburton and Caixinha had similar targets to meet and failed signally. I have to say, though, that I'm not prepared to drop the standard oneinch below what I set out above: if the club are setting out ambitions which don't even meet those modest standards it's probably time for a new board. Here I am falling into the same habit of the media, speculating about what the board are doing without a scrap of proof. Hopefully, I haven't unsettled them! But it's been mildly irritating to read and hear what are probably not dense people acting in a dense way, and I feel better for getting it off my chest.
  12. Hats off to all in this thread. Best there's been for ages.
  13. Man stands under umbrella in rain, has piss taken. He's failed, certainly, and more than once, but I'll not write anyone off over a stupid media headline. Saw his Derby side a bit a while back and they played good fitba, for a while anyway. There's definitely a coach in there, and given the low bar we would be setting, not the worst appointment.
  14. Out of that lot, Alex Neil by a country mile. Knows the league, knows the conditions, can kick on if things go well. Reputation for developing talent. Can work with limited budget. What's not to like? Who's Preud'homme?
  15. Having dodged a financial payoff when Warburton & Weir left under their own steam, by installing Pedro we took a decision which made it more likely that a pay out for a sacking would be more likely, more quickly. A gamble, as many have called it. Whoever gets the nod next time shouldn't be a gamble. And do we need to take one, anyway? The KPI's for the next man in are going to be easily the most modest for any manager in the club's history, excepting perhaps the first one. What do we expect, if the next manager gets 18 months? - Pumping the SPL dross - Qualify for the UEFA, as we used to call it - Don't get tanked by Euro ultraminnows in said UEFA - Give the tims a game That's it. Every appointment is a gamble but there are countless journeyman managers out there who can achieve the above. I would actually back myself to achieve that list and I have zero experience in football management. You're looking to recruit three or four decent pro's who command a wage (out with the reach of all teams in our league bar the tims but not a King's ransom); instill a system of playing; and get the players fit enough to do it. That's it. Just a shame Hodgson got the job at Palace, I'd have loved him to come in. Stability and a bit of class. Alex McLeish Chris Powell Steve McLaren Robbie Nielson Alex Neil Alex Smith, ffs, managed it while in temporary charge of Falkirk just there Neil McCann Uncle Tom Cobley and all If they screw up again, the board need to walk.
  16. Germinal

    Windass

    Windass has certainly got ability, but the Rangers first team is no place to learn your trade. A loan move from January - end of season to work on his decision making could be the making of him. But what level would be best?
  17. I must say, the standard of previews is slipping a bit. (joke btw)
  18. He'd better be right about that, because if a few clubs break ranks and say they want one too he's in trouble. Thta's assuming he said it, which given the source is far from certain. It actually reads very much like a false flag to smoke out support for what is plainly the BBC's preferred outcome.
  19. If it's any consolation I had to change the title when I got in as I'd put the wrong age in. Comes to us all, AWBSAS, comes to us all.
  20. The transfer window is closed for another summer and the players we have will be the players we have until January, barring freebies. While we've improved in some areas, it remains to be seen whether it's enough of an improvement to move forward from last season's mediocrity. One area it seems clear that we have improved is up front, where Alfredo Morelos, although no-one's idea of a top drawer striker, has enough ability to rack up 20-30 goals a season, help the club forward, and bring in a decent fee in 18 months or so. Other than Morelos, though, it's Herrera (can't tell yet) and Miller, about whom, regardles of your view on the player, enough has been typed already. Where then, does this leave Ryan Hardie, youthful scorer of goals and latest candidate for the Thomas Buffel Prize for getting more praise the less he is seen? On this score I can say I have seen him play, both for Rangers u-20's when they played out of Dumbarton and for Raith Rovers. The games I saw at whatever Boghead has been renamed were some years ago, though, so should probably be discounted. For what it's worth, he looked a decent but not outstanding forward. His loan at Raith Rovers, both in 2016 and again last season, brought plenty of game time (28 games across the two loans) and 12 goals. That's not bad, when you consider how inconsistent Rovers were. It should be noted that Rovers are on their 5th manager since 2015 in Barry Smith, not exactly the ideal spot for any young player let alone a striker. Hardie's also done well as grade international level, scoring at all the levels he has played at. while getting picked consistently across the age groups suggests a level of appreciation from coaches which would hardly be the case with a duffer. So how come we don't see him in the Rangers first team? Clearly the main reason is that Caxinha sees Morelos, Miller and Herrara as the 3 main strikers. But even with that in mind, a month and more into the season the No.4 pick forward might reasonably have expected a few run outs in the last 20 minutes. There must be other factors at play. Perhaps it's his movement, not bad but not outstanding. Perhaps it's attitude, something fans can't be in a position to know. One thing we can probably rule out is that Caxinha has decided Ibrox is no place for a callow youth (allowing for license, after all Hardie is now 20), but it's a point worth pondering just the same - as fans, there's loads we can't affect, but the one thing we can play a part in, giving players confidence, is where we often fall down. I remember, many years ago, Jim Traynor on the radio eulogising Stephen Pearson and excoriating Stephen Hughes, the one at Motherwell and the other with us. Both youthful products, it seemed to baffle Jim's mind that Pearson, developing away from the spotlight and able to throw in a few duff games with little impact on his reputation or confidence, had matured into a better player than Hughes, never more than two stray passes away from the chastisement of the Ibrox stands and the teeth sucking, head shaking, synthetic sympathy of the media, always willing to throw a young player under the bus to fill a few column inches. You may have your own opinion on whether these two players ever amounted to much in the grand scheme of football, or of which was better, but the point is surely valid that developing as a young player with Rangers requires way more than the ability to kick a ball. You won't have time to develop mental toughness; you better have it before you make your debut. You won't have time to develop a level of consistency; lose form and people will write you off immediately and permanently. You can't betray the foibles of youth; mess with the wrong person's sister and you will be on the front pages the next day, your teenage exploits destined to be cast up for all eternity in the looper-Matrix of Scottish football coverage. A woman who once argued with Graeme Souness over the half time tea in 1990 - 1990! - is still semi regularly hauled up as a totem of resistance to 'the man'...if you think any mis-steps off the pitch wil be forgotten, you're wrong. It's clear by now, I hope, that the young player who hopes to make the grade in a Rangers shirt needs to bring the full schmeer to the party, as well as being lucky. And how often will someone like that come along? Ian Durrant understood the gig, but crucially also had the advantage of being not only the best prospect we'd had in years, but was coming into a pretty lousy side of which little was expected. The stars aligned for him until Scottish football, with it's customary grace and elegance, scythed down its once in a generation talent and them blamed him for being carried off the pitch wrongly. Derek Ferguson understood the gig but also wanted to have a life, and a combination of Graeme Souness and the West of Scotland did for him. Coming up to date, Barrie MacKay seemed to understand the gig, perhaps too well - he couldn't get out fast enough. I have never seen Keiran Tierney, the Celtic prospect many are raving about, kick so much as a ball so I don't know how good he is, but I hope he bails out of the crunching backwater he currently plays in soon, lest the same fate befall his career. We don't produce exceptional talents often enough to allow the thug life to beat them. Anyhow, Ryan Hardie. Does he have in his hand all the cards that he'll need to finally break into the first team and start bagging the goals? Only time will tell. If he does get a chance, though, I'd love to see and hear the crowd get right behind him. Forgive the odd misplaced pass. Accept the odd shot skied over from six yards out. Ally McCoist missed about 100 chances a season but didn't too badly over the piece, as a player anyway. Now, that understanding can't be a free pass for ever and if the goods aren't there it will soon become obvious to everyone, the player himself probably included. Since so many have called for him to get that chance, if it comes lets back our call and back the player. Ibrox has been no place for young men for too long - it's up to us to help change that.
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